Spirited Away: I'm back!
by dragonmusic12
Summary: Chihiro, a seemingly normal high school girl, is drawn back to the Spirit World after 7 long years... reunited with Haku, she goes embarks of a journey to find truth, love, and to fulfill her destiny. UNFINISHED I intend to make this a very long and exciting fanfic, (like Rick Riordan's books. He is my role model) and if you don't want that, fine. Read another fanfic. Just kidding!
1. Prologue: Under Strange Circumstances

Prologue: Under Strange Circumstances

Chihiro, her mother, and her father were taking a joy ride around her neighborhood. They lumped down the highway and Chihiro's mother said, "I just saw this forest the other day and thought about driving around to look at it. Don't worry! It will be fun!" Chihiro's father, who was on the wheel, grunted and drove through what looked like a forest.

"Mom? Dad? Do you feel that?" Chihiro called from the back of the car.

"Feel what, honey?" Chihiro's mother turned around to look at her. The trees had no leaves, since it was the middle of winter. Chihiro opened the window to let a cold, sharp draft into the stuffy car. Something was familiar about this forest, but with that familiarity came another feeling. It gave Chihiro as sense of foreboding, like they didn't belong there... at least, not yet.

A dark, hooded figure sat on a throne of obsidian, looking at the family drive down the bumpy road through magical crystal looking-glass. "The plan is not ready yet," murmured a voice as cold and merciless as the mid-winter wind. The voice was also rich and oily, like tar, and just as poisonous. The voice paused, then the figure raised its head, revealing the smirking face of a woman. She had pale, white skin, hair and eyes as black as her throne, and a kind of beauty that resonated evil power. "Send the blood-witch."

"Chihiro, honey, be a dear and shut the window."

"Mom, is it just me, or is the wind picking up?"

"That's why I'm asking you to close the window, dear."

Then, a voice from the forest, high-pitched and raspy, echoed in, out, and around the car, disrupting the flow of time and space. It was a powerful and most definitely evil voice. Glowing, purple runes encased the car in sphere deadly magic, so that even if people were nearby, nobody would be able to hear Chihiro's family scream. Inside the car, Chihiro was cowering in the back seat, watching her mother and father. They were in a frenzied state, clutching at their hair and clothes, their minds scattered and damaged beyond repair.  
The blood-witch, one of the dimension's most feared magicians, had driven Chihiro's parents mad, her dark magic entwining itself in their very consciousnesses. But, she had orders to spare the girl. She didn't know why; the girl was very ordinary. Clad in jeans and an Uverworld fan t-shirt, maybe 13 and a half- give or take a few months: a typical teenager. The witch had half a mind to disobey orders and crush the girl with a single word, but then decided better.

Yuuko never said I couldn't have any fun... the witch thought. The man and woman will never be the same again, anyway. I'll put them out of their misery.

The purple rune-sphere rose, hovered in the air for a moment, the catapulted through the air; leaving the forest and over the highway, causing many drivers to gawk up at them. The car smashed into the side of a tree and fell on it's side in a crumpled and glassy mess. The blood-witch laughed and her black hood fell back. She looked exactly like the woman on the throne, except the fact that her eyes were red and not black. The blood-witch, whose name was Hyou-sama, was in fact the younger twin of Yuuko-sama, the woman on the obsidian throne.

The next day, headlines blared: Japan's most Mysterious Car Crash. A young teen and her parents were found in a demolished car on the side of the road at approximately 3 o' clock in the afternoon. A witness said he "saw the car fly from the nearby forest as if tossed by an angry giant". Chihiro, the girl, is now in a comatose state, anf her parents were dead when the officials arrived. Officials are yet to conclude the cause of death and how the car flew from the forest.

A week later, Chihiro woke to find herself orphaned and in a hospital. She now knew magic existed, but chose to forget. For a second time, Chihiro buried a memory in the deepest, darkest hole in her consciousness. She forgot about magic and the purple runes. That memory joined with the memories of Haku, Rin, and the spirit world. She did not forget, however, the cold laugh, flying through the air, and the faces of her dying parents. Chihiro woke up. She went on with her life. And... that is where our story begins.

End Prologue


	2. Chapter 1: One Summer's Day

Chihiro walked through a dark tunnel with her parents, clinging to her mother's hand. Their footsteps echoed off of the walls along with the sound of dripping water. Soon, they reached the end of the tunnel. Chihiro looked back and reluctantly went inside the car. Her dad said, "A new home and a new school? It is kind of scary."  
Chihiro replied, "I think I can handle it." And with that, as they drove down the bumpy road, her memories of Kamikakushi slowly but surely faded away...  
-

Chapter 1: One Summer's Day...

It was a gorgeous, sunny day. Chihiro was leaving her friend's house, getting ready to walk to her local high school. It was the last day of high school for her as well as another special event. As she walked, she thought about her morning...

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" screamed Chihiro's phone for her morning alarm.  
"Ok, ok!" Chihiro mumbled as she groped around her bedside table to silence the alarm, "Just shut up already!" Her hand found the shiny, purple hair-band that she always wore. She didn't know where it had come from, but she had owned it for 7 years and wearing it had become a habit. She tumbled out of bed and started getting ready for the day. She had had a really weird dream last night. "Hmmmm... what was it about again?" she said to herself as she changed into skinny jeans and a t-shirt. "Someone was shouting my name... it was really dark... some boy in traditional clothes running toward me... I feel like I should know him..."

Little did she know that in the Spirit World, Haku, with all of his memories intact, had woken up yelling, "Chihiro!" and sweating after having the same dream. Haku forlornly gazed out of his window at the village and restaurants that surrounded the bathhouse. The lights seemed to taunt him. Haku had met Chihiro down there and had tried to save her. In the end, she had actually saved him...  
-

"Chihiro! Chihiro? Earth to Chihiro!"  
"Wha?" replied Chihiro to her best friend, June, who had just waved her hand in front of Chihiro's blank face as she stared off into space.  
"Hey, Chihiro. You're drawing that guy again." said June.  
"Huh? Oh." Chihiro looked down at her paper and sighed. "Yeah. I guess I am."  
"You're always drawing him. Who is he anyway?"  
"I'm not sure. I know I've met him, though," Chihiro mumbled as she let her mind wander again. _Who WAS that boy? And why was he in my dream? Does it have something to do with the time Mom, Dad, and I got lost and disappeared for a month? I don't remember anything about that time except for driving through a forest and driving away from the same forest._ Chihiro absentmindedly drew a blue, silver, and white dragon next to the boy.  
-

"Come on, Chihiro," June nudged her to get her out of dreamland. "Do you WANT to be late to music?" June and Chihiro hurried out of the classroom and down the hallway.  
"By the way, Chihiro," said June mischievously, "that boy you draw is REALLY hot. Are you completely and positively sure that you are not hiding any boys from me?"  
"June! Seriously? I don't even KNOW this guy. As far as I know, he could be a figure of my imagination or someone I met that time I got amnesia."  
"Whoa, girl. Are you talking about the time your parents..."  
"Died in a car crash?" Chihiro finished. "No. I remember that… What I'm talking about happened 3 years before that. It was when I just moved here. My dad decided to take a shortcut through some forest and I think something happened with... a stone statue? The next thing I know, we're driving out of the forest and neighbors are telling us a month had past. We went to a doctor, and he said that nothing was wrong." Chihiro shrugged as June stared at her in amazement.  
"We have known each other for 7 years. You even LIVE in my house. We are as close as sisters. How come you have never told me this AWESOME story?!" June exclaimed.  
"I've never felt very comfortable at mentioning it..."  
"Still..." June said sounding hurt, "I'm your best friend..." They entered the music classroom and took out their instruments in silence. It's not as if they really had a choice. Though the music teacher, Mr. Okizawa, was easy to get along with, he was strict when he needed to be.  
"Okay, class," he said, "Today you have to compose a piece of music that reflects what you feel. You have 30 minutes. This counts as a test grade."

There were groans all around the classroom as Mr. Okizawa passed out blank sheet music. Chihiro, on the other hand, started composing like mad. About thirty minutes later, Mr. Okizawa rose from behind his desk and reported, "The thirty minutes are up. Would someone like to play their piece? Ah! Chihiro, would you like to go first?" She nodded, stood up, shifted her papers a little, and put her flute to her lips. Out of it came a sad, sweet, hopeful, and light tune. The class went silent and stared in awe at Chihiro, with her eyes closed and swaying slightly to the tune. The teacher clapped with the rest of the class at the end. "Bravo! Very nice, Chihiro! What do you want to call it?"  
Chihiro tilted her head a bit for a second and said quietly, "I'll call it 'One Summer's Day'."  
"Yes, very fitting. Alright, class. Almost time for the bell. Put your instruments away then sit quietly. You may whisper but don't make too much noise."  
They started murmuring among themselves and Chihiro caught her name several times. June started to tell her how great she was. But, Chihiro's mind was on something else. As she was playing, she felt like she had remembered something from a long, long time ago… like memories trying to push their way to the surface. Then suddenly, an image popped into her head with something like an invisible flash, but not quite invisible. An image of letting go of someone's hand. And a voice... a boy's voice... telling her not to look back.

Chihiro felt an inexplicable need to cry. But before she could, the bell rang, signaling the end or the day. As the stepped out of the classroom, she thought, "Urgggg... here it comes..." Not a moment later, 3 boys ran up to her followed by six others all of them shouting "Chihiro, go on a date with me!" Chihiro had to push her way through the pack of boys begging her for a date, occasionally saying, "Exuse me, sorry, I'm not available, no a don't have another guy, I have a test coming up, I'm too busy..." This was what dismissal was like every single day for her. Once she and June had escaped the mob of guys, Chihiro sighed heavily.  
"Why don't you go out with one of those guys for once? A few of them are really decent," June said casually.  
"You know that I'm not obsessed with guys. I have absolutely no interest whatsoever. You should know that as well as I do."  
"I wonder how you get them all."  
"Me too. I wonder why they've been coming every day since the start of high school. It's extremely stressful. And last year before the dance... I rather not think about it..." The two girls doubled over and laughed. Last year, a few days before the annual dance, the boys had literally LINED themselves in front of Chihiro and had one by one started asking her to the dance. It went well until about the 9th boy. Then, it was a domino effect. One boy at the back pushed the one in front of him, which pushed the one in front of him, and so on until all of them lay at Chihiro's feet in a crumpled mess. June had witnessed it all and had started laughing just as they were doing in the present. Both wiped tears from their eyes.  
"Ahh... good times, good times..." June said to Chihiro as they started calming down.  
"Yeah... oh no! I forgot to lock the house door this morning. We should get home fast." They picked up speed and arrived within minutes. Nothing was out of place so luckily, no one had noticed the door was unlocked and waltzed in. "I'll be in my room," Chihiro called to June, who was in the kitchen making a sandwich.  
"Ok. We should be done with homework before 5. 'Cause you know..."  
"Yup. Today's the day," Chihiro murmured and sighed. Today was her 18th birthday. The day when she would be given custody of her parents' house and start to live there, alone. She couldn't just back out now, after all, SHE had made the decision. _Anyway,_ she thought to herself, _I can come here whenever I want and June's mom and dad will still be supporting me. Besides, we're only... what? A neighborhood apart? Technically, I'm not alone._  
-

All of the paperwork, moving in, and cleaning up had been done in advance. The fridge was stocked and June's parents were giving her moneu for weekly groceries. The house was complete with a working phone, T.V., and electrical sockets everywhere. The living room was large enough for her to practice her martial arts in without whacking anything. Better still; Chihiro had gotten her own car. When it came down to it, Chihiro was more excited than nervous. Nothing would really change except for the address that she put on school forms and such. She and June would walk home and do homework together and have weekend sleepovers at each other's houses. But that weekend, she wanted to be alone.

Chihiro surveyed her new, or rather, her old room. It still had her old bed and furniture; the same desk and view of the forest to the right. She walked over to her desk, picked up her drawing pad, and flopped onto her bed. The pad was almost finished. She had been drawing in it for years and it even had sheets of other papers stuck in between pages with more doodles. From the first page, the pad was chock full of strange drawings of strange people. But, for some strange reason, she felt like she knew all of the people and creatures she drew. Every single drawing was detailed from their hairstyle to the clothes they wore. Some showed two old ladies that looked exactly alike- except that one looked sour and the other friendlier, a mustached man with a lot or arms, fuzzy black balls that might be soot, and funnily enough, a bathhouse. But, most of them depicted a boy in traditional clothes, shoulder-length jet black hair, and emerald green eyes. And as June said, he WAS hot. The really weird thing was that she got older, her drawings of that boy would also get an older and mature version. Lately, for the past 2 or 3 years or so, she would draw him sitting by a window staring out, in a field looking up at the sky, or walking past a tunnel entrance. If Chihiro really strained her brain, the tunnel would seem familiar, but the feeling always passed.  
-

As Chihiro as driving home from the grocery store, she noticed what seemed to be a shortcut through a forest. "Oooh..." she thought, "That road looks like it goes straight to my house. I think I'll explore a little..."

End Chapter One


	3. Chapter 2: A Road to Somewhere

A Road to Somewhere

Chihiro turned into the small road that supposedly lead to her house. It looked very unused. Trees were creeping in from either side. Weeds and some flowers disguised most of the road. As she drove down, she noticed some small shrines nestled at the bases of many trees. Soon enough, she noticed that the road was also very bumpy. Something seemed very familiar about this road... Then, FLASH! Her mother telling Chihiro to sit down. FLASH! A bumpy road through a forest. FLASH! A stone statue in the middle of the road, covered in moss. FLASH! Walking through a dark tunnel with her parents...

Chihiro's speed increased with every flashback. Branches whipped around the car as it bolted through like a cannon ball, leaving many little pieces strewn everywhere in a leafy mess. Chihiro didn't notice a thing. FLASH! Telling her parents not to go. FLASH! A grassy field with a small creek. FLASH! Empty restaurants... And most shocking and horrifying of all... FLASH! A purple sphere encasing the car, her parent's screams, a shrill cackle in the distance. Chihiro blocked that one out; she didn't _WANT_ to remember the crash. The feeling of helplessness that had always been a part of her had been cruelly shoved in her face in that so called 'accident'. Chihiro shut her eyes and blocked out everything. She didn't even notice that she was nearing a dead end. Chihiro was closing in on the strange, mossy statue. To late did she even think about pressing on the brake. She rammed into the statue and blacked out.  
-

When Chihiro returned to consciousness her sight was very fuzzy. Around her, she could make out the ruins of the front of her car, shards of glass, and a whole lot of **_blood_**. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach, and very slowly looked down. Her eyes focused, and she observed that a very large, very sharp piece of glass had embedded itself in her gut. She had many cuts and scrapes all over her body, though not as serious, including a long, nasty gash going from her cheek to her temple. Everything that could bleed bled profusely. Chihiro had already lost a lot of blood. Panic filled her mind. She took a deep breath, and pulled out the glass shard. Clutching her side, she staggered out of the car and finally noticed the tunnel in front of her. There was no light to be seen at the end of the tunnel. **_I can look for help in there,_** she thought. Her vision was already starting to blur again. She slowly crawled into the tunnel. But, she couldn't get very far. She had made it to the middle of the tunnel, and started seeing a bit of light at the end- or maybe it was just her addled mind- when she collapsed. **_I'm not going to make it out of this alive...  
_**-

"CHIHIRO! Blood... so much blood... she's nearby!" Haku had woken up screaming bloody murder. Rin and a few other servants rushed into the room. Haku had already changed into dragon form and rushed off to the tunnel entrance.  
"What's the nutcase up to this time?" Rin muttered to herself. "That's gonna be the... let me see... once before dinner, again about a week ago... 4th time this month that he's gone to the spirit tunnel..."  
Everyone at the bathhouse missed Sen- or as she was also called, Chihiro- even Yubaba. And though everyone understood how Kohaku felt, they knew it was impossible for Chihiro to come back.  
-

"Chihiro! CHIHIRO!" Haku walked the spirit entrance and found Chihiro, lying facedown in a large pool of blood. He ran and knelt next to her. "Oh no… too much blood. I've got to get you to Komajii." He slowly and carefully picked up Chihiro and started going to Komaji's boiler room at full sprint.  
-

"He's been gone too long," Yubaba snorted. "Probably staring at the flowers again. Someone go check on him."  
"Ma'am, before he left, the young master had been screaming about... Lady Chihiro," a servant who was present said meekly.  
"Of course. The poor boy's obsessed. Rin, go check on him."  
"Why do I had to be the kid's baby sitter?!" Rin said annoyed.  
"It's because I told you to. Now budge off! Go on!" Yubaba said more sternly. And once everyone had left she added quietly, "Besides, you and Haku were the closest ones to Chihiro."  
-

Haku was trying to reach Komaji's boiler room as fast as he could. But, with Chihiro unconscious in his arms, he couldn't go into dragon form. The fastest way was through the village, like last time. **_Haha,_** he thought grimly, **_I'm running through the streets trying to save her life... again._** As he was running, Haku noticed a negative aura around Chihiro. **_She's entered the border between here and the world of the dead. I was like that went I had Zeniba's curse on me. Maybe she needs some help…_**  
Haku shifted Chihiro a little and freed one hand. He touched his middle and forefinger to Chihiro's forehead, and immediately saw into her dreaming mind. Chihiro was huddled in the darkness. She looked like how Haku had found her when she was first in the spirit world. The only difference was that she was a bit older and her aura had become a very dark shade of maroon. It was a sign that a person was nearing death. Her eyes widened in shock when Haku appeared.  
"Eeep! It's you! You're that person I always draw! Who are you and why are you in my pictures?!" Now it was Haku's turn to be shocked. Chihiro didn't remember him!  
"Uhh..." For a moment, words seemed to leave him. What was he supposed to say? He went closer and knelt in front of Chihiro and whispered, "Chihiro, you really don't remember me?"  
"I don't know if I know you! I mean, I think I know you. But I don't!" Thoughts were running through Chihiro's mind as fast as racecars at the Grand Prix. This boy looks exactly like my pictures! Why is it so dark? Why does he know my name? Where am I anyway? Is this a dream?

"Chihiro, I can help."

"Can I trust you?"

End Chapter 2


	4. Chapter 3: Nighttime Coming

Nighttime Coming

A young woman stepped out of the shadows, wearing a pure black kimono. "Onee-san, the girl has arrived. It is as we have planned."  
Another girl, who looked exactly like the first, sat on her black throne. She wore a deep purple kimono, but instead of having her hair in a bun like her younger twin, her hair flowed in shiny rivers down her back, and glinted as evilly as her eyes as she leaned forward.  
"Well, well. About time. I was getting bored, weren't you, Hyou?" Yuuko rose from her throne and stepped toward her sister. "Are you ready to do you duties again, blood-witch?"  
"Yuuko-oneesan, don't call me blood-witch! It makes me sound old."  
"Do you want me to call you 'imouto' again?" An awkward silence filled the room, then the two burst out laughing. After a few minutes, they calmed down.  
"You haven't called me 'imouto' since Sakura-oneesan..."  
"I know!" Yuuko snapped. Hyou dipped her head.  
"It was hard on both of us..."

"How do I know that you are someone I can trust? First, I bleeding to death on the ground, and now I'm in this pitch-dark hole of nothingness," Chihiro exclaimed.  
"I don't have any way to prove that I'm trustworthy. Actually, this place you're in is the border between the world of the living and the world of the dead. This isn't a very substantial dimension. You see, it only takes away you mind and consciousness, but not your body. Currently, I'm carrying you and running as fast as I can to Komaji." Chihiro stared at him. Haku started to feel very self-conscious. Then Chihiro spoke.  
"I'll trust you." Haku raised his eyebrows slightly. That had been easier than he had thought. "How do I get out of here?"  
"It's quite simple," Haku said.  
"Tell me."  
"You need to reach enlightenment, go to Nirvana, and plead for help from the Buddha."  
"Seriously?" Chihiro asked skeptically, a small smile played on her lips.  
"But!" Haku said grandly. "The great and mighty me knows a short cut."  
"What is it?"  
"You must remember and wake up."  
"Remember what? How do I wake up?"  
"By remembering."  
"How do I remember the thing I'm supposed to remember?" said Chihiro, a bit impatient now.  
"You've manipulated your own memories, as well as had a memory charm put on you. The charm is too hard to break at the moment, but try breaking through your own barrier."  
"How do you know this stuff? Who are you? Why are you helping me?" asked Chihiro. Haku was silent for a moment.  
"My, my. So many questions. I'll tell you later. Let's get your memories, shall we?"  
"Sure, I can really trust you now," Chihiro rolled her eyes. "Ok, let's get my memories..."  
"I'll tell you how, then I'll leave and wait for you from the outside."  
"Just fire away, Mr. I'll-tell-you-later."  
"Close your eyes, then imagine you're probing around in you brain. It'll be quite dark, but then, you'll see a 2 blobs, one glowing gold, and the other pulsing dark energy. Go forward, and slam against the gold blob with all of your strength. Then, you'll wake up. Got it?"  
"I think I do."  
"Ok. Ready?"  
"Yeah. As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose."  
"Good luck. See you on the other side."  
-

Haku regained consciousness, he found Komaji and Rin staring at him.  
"You got an explanation, boy?" asked Komaji gruffly. Two of his arms were tending to Chihiro's wounds with the aid of Rin, and the rest were on his knees. "You just come bursting in with your eyes glowing, and I figure you're doing some river-spirit whatnot. So I sit you and the girl down, and now you stop glowing."  
"Haku, is this Se- er... Chihiro?" Rin looked up from her work, her eyes sad and not daring to hope. Those eyes had stopped hoping a long time ago; just like many of the others at the bathhouse had.  
"She is."  
Rin gasped. "Then do something! She's almost at the point of no return! Look how much she's still bleeding!"  
"There's a limit to how much a river-spirit can do!" Haku said so loudly that Rin was taken aback in shock. Haku quieted. "I'm sorry, Rin. I already did as much as I could. It's up to her now."  
Komaji, Rin, and Haku looked down at Chihiro. As the thick darkness of night fell, so did their hopes of Chihiro ever awakening. This was not how they had imagined their reunion.

End Chapter Three

Author's Note: I used some Japanese words in the text that may not be known to a majority of the readers. I forgot to put a translation for something in the prologue, so it's here too.  
Oneesan means older sister.  
Imouto means younger sister.  
Sama means Lord/Lady. It is a title for highly respected or ranked people.  
San (example Kisa-san) means Miss, Mrs., or Mr.


	5. Chapter 4: The World of the Dead

The World of the Dead

"Okay..." Chihiro mumbled as Haku disappeared in a flash of green light, "All I have to do is break a mystical mental barrier and I'm on my way!"  
It was hard to be optimistic in that situation, but Chihiro still tried to keep enthusiastic. Then, she closed her eyes, and was shocked at what she found. Not the darkness Haku had told her about, but a whole land that radiated peace and warmth. Flowers glistened with morning dew, birds chirped happily in the air and in the trees that swayed slightly with the wind. In front of Chihiro, there was a bleached white pavilion with a small table set with tea for two (japanese style). On one side of the table, a beautiful woman in a long, shiny, light purple yukata stood, and gestured for her to come. She looked regal and calm with a princess-like demeanor. The woman was probably around Chihiro's age, maybe 20. She had her long black hair in a beaded purple headdress, and her face looked kind and understanding. Chihiro found herself trusting the woman, and started to walk to the pavilion.  
The woman chuckled a little, and her calm demeanor lifted. "Chii-chan, you don't need to look so scared! Come on! I've got lots of cakes and sweet stuff here!" Chihiro was wholly taken aback, and her uneasiness disappeared to be replaced by slight irritation.  
"Who are you calling Chii-chan?!"  
"You, of course! We're around the same age, aren't we? Let's be friends!" Despite her age, this young lady was quite open and immature in some aspects, and extremely friendly. "Hurry up or the tea will get cold! We also have a time limit."  
Chihiro wondered what the woman meant by 'time limit', but she sat down and helped herself to a cake. It tasted other-worldly (which was not strange since she was in fact in another world).  
"I'm sorry to keep you from your friends, but I really wanted to meet you," the woman said. "Oh, right! I haven't introduced myself yet! I'm Sakura-hime of Yume Castle. Just call me Sakura."  
"Um... Sakura-hime... am I... are we dead?"  
"Don't call me 'hime'," Sakura said a bit whinily. "I thought you would call me Sakura-chan, Chii-chan. And no. 'We' aren't dead. 'I' am dead, and you are ALMOST dead." The cheerful princess became suddenly serious. "Our time is short. My sisters have sealed most of your memories and I have broken that spell. Your memories will start returning gradually once you return to the world of the living. You have also broken the personal mental barrier. Since it was your own, it broke effortessly and you didn't need to use the method the boy had given you. That method's only for ameteurs. The memories you have blocked on your own will come back whether you want them to or not. For, now you are in worlds entwined with magic and can't deny it any longer. Do you know the saying: 'No pain no gain'?"  
Chihiro nodded.  
"The pain your memories will bring as well as the things you will encounter on your journey will indeed make you stronger. I will send you to your friends now, and I hope that when we meet again, you will forgive me for my selfishness."  
"What?" Chihiro screamed as darkness enveloped her. She hadn't followed much of the conversation; Sakura-chan spoke too fast and she didn't have much time to process her words. "What do you mean by painful memories? Forgive what? And-" Chihiro was cut off, and was put in a deep sleep, flitting in and out of dreams and nightmares: A dream of a bathhouse, and a nightmare of a car crash.  
-

It was nearly midnight. Haku, Rin, and Komaji were still sitting around Chihiro. She hadn't changed, except for the fact that she was steadily growing colder and paler every second. The worst part was, there was nothing they could do.  
"Sitting here won't help Chihiro," Rin mumbled, breaking the silence. "We have to tell Yubaba about Chihiro's arrival. Come on, Haku."  
"I'm not giving up on her, even if you are, Rin," Haku snapped coldly.  
Rin looked hurt and on the verge of tears. She got up, and walked to the door, slamming it shut.  
Haku stood up with a guilty expression on his face. Komajii grunted and mumbled, "Follow her, Haku. She's as stressed as you are. The last time Chihiro-sama was here, they became as close as sisters. What you just said hurt her more than you think."  
"I know... it's just- you're right. I'll follow her," replied Haku, striding towards the door.

End Chapter Four


	6. Chapter 5: Will to Live

I'm back!: Chapter 5

Will to Live

"No!" Chihiro exclaimed as she watched in horror at the unfolding scene. A hooded figure was chanting at the rune-encased car, and faint screams could be heard inside. Then, the dream changed. She was standing in mid-air and watched as a blob in the distance drew closer and closer. The blob looked like a blue dragon. She knew that blue dragon. Chihiro gasped when the dragon started to dissolve and turned into a boy. It was the same boy who helped her in the border between here and the world of the dead. Haku. No... his name WAS Haku. It IS Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi. His real name. *Sono Namae... That name is very important to me. But why?*

"She is almost dead, Yuuko onee-sama," called Hyou from a side room. She was looking into a crystal ball that reflected images that weren't there. Witchcraft.

"I suppose it can't be helped," replied Yuuko in her cunning, silky-smooth voice. "We have to make some sacrifices for the greater cause. But this girl is special. She mustn't die in order for the plan to work."

"Rin!" Haku gasped as he sprinted up the stairs to with Rin. "I'm really sorry, Rin. I have NO idea what came over me!"

"I don't want to hear it, you... POLLUTED RIVER-SPIRIT!"  
Haku groaned. That stung (it's a very big insult for nature spirits like Haku). Haku was finding it hard to keep up now. In the annual bathhouse Olympics, Rin was ALWAYS the champion of the footraces... with Haku as a close second. That is, if he didn't use his power. Haku transformed into a dragon, flew past Rin, transformed back in mid-air and turned around to face Rin.

"I'm sorry, Rin. We're all just stressed. But, that doesn't mean we should be shouting at each other and crying and running away after we shout at each other. So, let's all make nice until Chihiro gets better."

Rin glared at him. She had to glare up, since Haku had grown taller than her since Chihiro left. "Baka. Whatever. Let's go see Yubaba."

Komaji sat alone in the boiler room. He watched as Chihiro seemed to shrink into a small girl of around ten. So alone. So helpless. He had wanted to help that little girl. The girl that had been determined to save the ones she loved, and had the strength to do it at any cost.

Komaji sighed. It was the same girl; except that this time, she was the one needing saving- and there was nothing anyone could do.

Haku. Kohaku. Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi. The same. It is the same person. The same very, very important person. "Why? Why is he important?!" Chihiro cried into the darkness that was her present dream. The darkness complied, and showed her a fast stream of images.

Haku holding her hand as he ran with her to the bathhouse. Haku telling her to get a job at Komaji's place. Haku, in dragon form, bleeding. She saw herself forcing open his mouth (still in dragon form) to get him to eat medicine. Chihiro saw Haku, looking very pale, lying down, unconscious; and a little girl by his side. The dragon had the girl on his back now, and then, he turned into a boy. A boy holding the girl's hands as they freefell through the air. The girl was named Chihiro. The last image... Chihiro holding Haku's hand as she slowly let go and took off down the hill. He had told her not to look back.

Rin and Haku ascended the last flight of stairs.

"Why... didn't we... use... the elevator?!" Haku panted as he tried to get his breath back.

"Well... I was going to... but you started... chasing me... so I had to use the stairs!" Rin replied angrily, equally tired and breathless. They went forward to knock on Yubaba's door, when the lock clicked, and the door swung open with an eerie creaaaak.

"Come on," Yubaba called from inside, "I haven't got all day!" And so, Haku and Rin were dragged by the front of their shirts with magic, and tossed into the air in front of Yubaba's desk. Rin had managed to turn the fall into a somersault of some sort and landed on her feet. Haku landed on his face. (Poor Haku.)

"Really, Yubaba! You have got to stop doing that!" Haku huffed as he massaged his nose, which was red from the impact with the floor.

"So," Yubaba inquired, as she blew a smoke ring, "what do you want?"  
Haku stood up and regained his composure. "Chihiro has come back."

End Chapter 5

Author's Note:  
JAPANESE CULTURE FLASH!  
Baka- idiot/cretin

Sono Namae- 'That name'


	7. Chapter 6: Prophecy

'm back!: Chapter 6

Author's Note:  
THANK YOU, MERCI, and ARIGATO to all of my faithful followers! A symbol will be put next to those who gave good feedback or commented! Thanks again!

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Thanks again, and enjoy this new chapter! I hope you find it as amusing as I did! XD

The Prophecy

"I know," murmured Yubaba many smoke rings later.

"What?!" Rin exclaimed, "then why didn't you come down?"

"Because I didn't want to! Did you think I wouldn't know what goes on around my bathhouse? So. How's she doing?"

"Dying," Haku replied simply. "I think it's getting worse. We should go back."

"Hold it right there, sonny," commanded Yubaba. "Now that she's back, you know she has to be put in a contract."  
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

"WHAT?!" cried Haku and Rin in unison.

"Keheheheha! Poissons d'avril! Got you!" Yubaba was hardly controlling her laughter. "Hahahaha! ... Seriously now. Do you really think I would put her through that?" Haku and Rin exchanged glances.

Rin started to say, "Well..."

"Come now!" Yubaba huffed indignantly. "I'm not that horrible! But, Haku, you especially should know how dangerous it will be from now on. After all, the prophecy..."

Haku stiffened. "The prophecy has nothing to do with Chihiro! I will make sure that it's not about her." Rin stared at Haku, who was having a staring contest with Yubaba.

"What prophecy?" Rin asked after a few minutes of staring. "What about Chihiro?"

"It has nothing-"

"It has everything to do with me if it concerns Chihiro!"

Haku sighed. "I hate when you become like this..."

"Alright Rin, we will tell you, but first let's see Chihiro," said Yubaba, heading towards the door. "This time, let's just stay calm and use the elevator."  
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Komajii sat alone in the boiler room, staring at Chihiro. Was it just him, or did Chihiro shift a little?

"Huhhrm..." moaned Chihiro. She had definitely moved. And groaned.  
Komajii stiffened. Maybe Chihiro needed more medicine. Or painkiller. Or maybe she was having a bad dream. He heard distant thumping noises, but didn't pay much attention. He shuffled to the pot of water he was boiling magic herbs in, and dipped some bandages into it carefully. Komajii came back with a bowl of nice-smelling cloths and sat down next to Chihiro again. Time to change the wound dressings.

Komajii lifted Chihiro's blanket and started to unwrap her bandages as the thumping came closer. The door opened and in ran Yubaba, followed by Rin and Haku. Komajii looked up, holding a new bandage in one hand and an old one in another.

"Ack! Tell me when it's over!" Haku stumbled backwards onto his rear and covered his eyes.

Yubaba and Rin exchanged grins and sniggers.

"Come on, Haku! You're too innocent! You know you want to look!" Rin said, in between laughs.

"No! I really don't!" Haku exclaimed. Then he paused, "okay, maybe a little... but the only naked people I seen are the male customers at the bathhouse and I don't want to change that!"

"Done!" Komajii called. Haku took a peek through his fingers, deemed it safe to look, uncovered his eyes, and stood up.

"Seriously, boy!" Yubaba said, surprised. "You work at a bathhouse and have never seen a naked girl? Haven't you ever thought about peeking?"

"No! Never!" Haku exclaimed, very red now.

"Did it take much willpower?" Rin inquired slyly.

"No!"

"All right, all right! Enough chatting, ladies!" Komajii bellowed towards the three people near the door. Haku was about to say, EXCUSE ME, when Komajii added, "and river-spirit."

That seemed to satisfy Haku.

"Nuuughhh..." Chihiro moaned weakly.

Rin, Yubaba, and Haku looked in Chihiro's direction and stopped their bickering about how Haku was manly or not. (Rin was saying how Haku's voice still cracks while Haku was defending his manliness. XD)

"She is regaining consciousness!" Rin exclaimed, running to Chihiro's side.

Yubaba turned to Haku and whispered, "Want me to tell her about how you saw-"

"I DIDN'T!" Haku hissed.

Chihiro, still mostly unconscious, groaned again and cringed. It seemed that the wound still stung.

Chihiro started to toss and turn ferociously, like she was having a really terrible nightmare. Her face, though her eyes were closed, displayed pure fear, horror, and pain. Then, Chihiro's expression softened, then relaxed. She sighed, and tears started to trickle slowly out of her shut-tight eyes.

"What's happening?" Rin asked, concerned. Haku was silent. He had known that Chihiro would have to go through this. "Well? Speak up!"

Haku didn't make eye-contact with Rin and murmured, "Chihiro is getting her memories back."

"What? What does that even mean?"

"When she left Kamikakushi, Chihiro's memories were sealed by a powerful curse. She's breaking the curse and getting her memories back. She's also getting back the memories of when her parents died. That's all you need to know," replied Haku in a slightly angry, slightly sad way.  
"Who put the curse on her?!" Rin interrogated, "who would do something like that to Chihiro?!"  
Again, Haku was silent; like he was distracted or in a daze, or if he hadn't even heard the question.  
"Norowareta futago. The cursed twins, Yuuko and Hyou," whispered Haku, half to himself, "my sisters."

End Chapter Six

Author's Note:  
So! How do you like it? Is the build-up okay, or should I extend it and make it longer? And oh the suspense! Even I don't know what will come next! Time to consult the Random book of Random ideas (that come to me when I'm still half-asleep)! Stay tuned and keep reading! Thanks for the support! Xie-xie! Arigato!

P.S. Poissons d'avril means "April Fool" in French, but it literally means "fish of April". XD

And Norowareta futago- cursed twins


	8. Chapter 7: Awakening

Author's Note:  
My dear readers! Thank you for staying with me (a very, very slow writer) for so, so long (three months). So to commemorate YOU the READERS, here is the seventh chapter! I hope it is to your liking! Proudly presenting Chapter 7 of I'm back!: Spirited Away 2:

Awakening

"What?!" Rin bellowed, almost bringing down the bathhouse, "you're related to the people who cursed Chihiro?!"  
"Yeah."  
"And you're so calm about it?!"  
Haku was didn't say anything, and only started at Chihiro, thinking about another time. A better time. A time long, long ago- almost 100 years ago, in fact. A time when his family was whole, and he still had his river...

"Nee-chan," pressed a smaller, younger Haku, tugging at his older sister's sleeve. "Yuuko-oneechan! Look what I can do!"  
Haku pit his thumb and middle finger together, put it to his mouth, and blew. Little sparkles and silver dragon scales fluttered around and mingled with the falling sakura petals, coming to rest all around the yard. Yuuko laughed, "Very good! Try not to include the sparkles, though!"  
Haku turned red. "How do I do that?!"  
"Try not to concentrate on the spell itself, and rather on the thing you're casting the spell on," replied another voice, "then you won't send sparkles flying."  
"Why don't you show Haku rather than lecture him?" Yuuko asked Hyou, who was descending the path that led from the yard to the house.  
"Alright! Watch closely, little brother! This is how it's done," said Hyou, already with her thumb and forefinger at her lips. Purple scales came forth and whizzed around Haku's head, one landing on his nose.  
"Wow! But nee-chan, why are mine silver, yours and Yuuko-oneechan's purple, and Sakura-oneechan's pink?" Haku inquired curiously.  
"It all depends on the person," yet another voice called. "When go into dragon form, that's the color of your scales."  
"Sakura-oneechan!" Haku exclaimed, "can you do dragon form yet? Can you show us? Please?"  
Little Haku, Yuuko, and Hyou all looked up at Sakura imploringly, who, being the eldest, was taller than all of them.  
"Alright," Sakura gave in, "I'll do it... but let's all do warm-ups first. I can't transform when my limbs are all tight and I'm wearing a yukata. Come on, let's go change first."  
Haku, Yuuko, and Hyou looked down at their clothes. Haku sported a blue and silver yukata, Hyou and Yuuko wore matching purple and pink kimonos, and Sakura was dressed in a pink yukata with lots of flowery embroidery.  
"You're right," Hyou and Yuuko said in perfect unison, "we can't to cartwheels in these."  
"What are cartwheels?" Haku asked.  
"Enough questions for today!" Sakura cried, but with a fond wink at Haku, "don't you know the saying: 'curiosity killed the cat'?"  
All of them giggled and walked toward the house- or castle, rather- talking and gossiping about nothing in particular, with Haku at the back, struggling to keep up with his older siblings...

Haku sighed. That was one of his better memories, the others were either too sad or too foggy to remember at present.  
"Haku..." mumbled Chihiro sleepily.  
Komajii and Rin looked up.  
"Did you hear that?" Komajii exclaimed. "She's regaining consciousness!"  
Chihiro started to move more, and opened her eyes slowly, raising her hand to her face.  
"Where... where am I?" Chihiro asked shakily, "a tunnel... then the borderline between the world of the living and the dead..."  
"Chihiro!" Rin said, excited but not too loudly, "you're at the bathhouse right now, but you might not remember anything..."  
"I..." murmured Chihiro, "I think..."  
Her eyes, at first shocked at being in a new surrounding, welled up with tears.  
"Haku!" Chihiro cried, rushing to him and sobbing openly, "I remember! My parents, the car crash..."  
Haku got over his shock, and hugged her back, his eyes sad and understanding. He knew what it felt like to lose someone or something he had loved dearly, and how painful it was to have the wound torn open again after a long forgetfulness...  
Yubaba, Rin, and Komajii just stared in silence, for they were outcasts in a situation like that. They had never really experienced a loss or a death, for death was quite unnatural for spirits, and they had lived in the bathhouse for most of their lives.  
When Chihiro had calmed down a bit, Haku took her face in one of his hands, and told her calmly, "It's going to be alright, Chihiro, you have us now."  
Chihiro only nodded, she was afraid that if she spoke, the tears would start coming again.  
Haku spoke again, "Do you remember everything? Really everything?"  
Chihiro took a deep breath and shook her head saying, "Not everything. It seems like I have empty spaces where SOMETHING should be, but nothing is there. I know it's my memories."  
"But you remember me?" Haku asked, raising an eyebrow, "Not that I'm complaining!"  
"I also remember Rin," replied Chihiro glancing at Rin, Komajii, and Yubaba, "as well as Komajii, Yubaba, Zeniba, and everyone else. I can recall the faces and names, but I can't remember what I did..."  
Chihiro's expression became pained, trying desperately to grab hold of even an inkling of a memory that was just out of reach.  
"That's just fine!" Rin shouted, surprising everyone else in the room. "As long as you're alright, I don't care about the past! We can make new experiences right now, in the present!" Rin paused to take a breath, and began more quietly this time, "You can regain your memories at your own pace, don't force them. Please, just don't make that face..."  
"Rin..." mumbled Chihiro, extremely touched by Rin's words. "I can see how we became friends last time. You're right. I'll live for right now, not back then. Even though the past still hurts... I won't let it defeat me."  
Haku got up and offered a hand to Chihiro, which she gladly took, since she was still unstable after being impaled by quite a large piece of glass and being in a coma.  
Yubaba, who had been silent the whole time, stole a glance at her golden pocket watch, and gasped. "Goodness me! It's time to open house already! Let's get a-movin' folks! We have to get Chihiro ready!"  
Chihiro grinned. "I'm starting to remember some things already! ...like how Yubaba is a work-aholic and how fun it was to work with Rin!" Rin grinned and laughed, too. Chihiro skipped to Rin's side, and bowed to everyone else. "Everyone, thank you so much! I know this sounds a bit formal, but I really am grateful that all of you helped me!"  
Haku muttered a 'No problem' while also getting a bit red in the face, Komajii grunted and gave Chihiro a wink and a smile, and Yubaba said, "Nonsense, dear! We were only repaying old debts! Plus, last time, you were a VERY valuable worker! I can't just let you die! Come on now, we have lot's to do!"  
With that, the three ladies left the boiler room, leaving Haku and Komajii behind. Haku, who had been raised to co-boss, had tons of responsibilities, and followed soon afterward, while Komajii and the sootballs started the boilers. At that moment, everyone was content.

But, the cursed twins weren't satisfied yet.

End Chapter 7

Author's Note:  
So! How was it? Please feel free to comment, correct, give ideas, or give feedback! I value any feedback from you, the readers, because it inspires me, and it makes fanfiction fanfiction. Without that fans writing the fiction, and the fans reading the fiction, this wouldn't be such a pleasant experience. So, ARIGATO!

Please note: I have HUGE EXAMS (oh no!) coming up for the whole of this week and next week, so don't be mad if there aren't many/any updates. (Gumen! I'm sorry!)  
~DragonMusic2000


	9. Chapter 8: Hard Work

Author's Note:

Presenting the BATH HOUSE OLYMPICS! This is one of my favorite chapters so far! :)

Hard Work

FRIENDS  
Can one say  
Throughout the day  
When with friends  
The times will not end?

Haku walked past the bath 'stalls' (they were actually huge rooms with a spirit in a tub in the middle and my bathhouse workers serving the customer) during his rotation. He passed by the room of a radish spirit who was being attended to by Chihiro, Rin, and Rin's other friends. They were all laughing and talking, and Chihiro, who had spotted Haku, called to him and waved.  
"Haku! I'm remembering my past more and more! This radish spirit helped me get to Yubaba's office last time!"  
Haku looked slightly surprised, then smiled. Then, he seemed to remember that he was a work, so he regained his 'stone column' expression and told Rin and her friends to get back to work and quiet down a little. But, as he left, he gave a wink to Chihiro.  
"He's such a kill-joy!" Rin pouted. "I can't blame him, though. He's now the co-boss and has to look like he's in charge, but he doesn't have to be so cold at work!"  
"Yeah," Chihiro said thoughtfully, "so what were you saying about the bathhouse olympics?"  
"Oh, that's right!" Rin replied. "They start tomorrow. Workers and customers alike can compete, and winners get raised in rank. The more you compete, the higher your rank gets. Of course, I win a lot, but if I were to accept a rank raise, I'd be leaving all my girls behind," Rin made a gesture to her friends. "As a result, second place gets the rank raise."  
"Who gets the rank raise instead?" Chihiro asked.  
Rin looked surprised. "Didn't you already guess? Why do think Haku has gotten to co-boss so fast?"  
"It's Haku?! He's slower than you?!"  
"Yeah. The only way he's faster is if he transforms into a dragon and flies. But, without his powers, he's not much faster than a human athlete," laughed Rin with a bit of a smirk. "But as I was saying, you should try it out! They're actually really fun! And since I've already competed for 5 years in a row, it's gotten a bit boring and I'd rather watch you compete instead."  
"It does sound fun, but I'm not much of an athlete," said Chihiro a bit worriedly.  
"That's alright! It's all for the experience, anyway! Just have fun!"

Chihiro woke up refreshed and ready for the day. She folded up her futon and put it away on the shelf. Some of the other ladies had already woken up ahead of her and were changing. Chihiro put on her bathhouse uniform, put her hair in a ponytail, and went downstairs. She had decided to follow Rin's advice and sign up early. "The contestants all rush forward to the register and I almost got killed the first time I competed. Since then, I've taken advantage of the fact that I work here and sign up early," she had said.  
Chihiro went up to the foreman and said, "Excuse me, I'd like to sign up."  
The foreman looked at her in distaste and said, "We don't take huma-" when his eyes bulged and became as big as plates as he asked disbelievingly, "Sen?! Omigosh! When did you come back?! I mean- ahem. Forgive me for disrespecting you, Chihiro-sama."  
Chihiro looked shocked and mumbled, "No problem, uh... about signing up..."  
"Of course! Right away, Chihiro-sama!" He handed Chihiro a form and said, "Write your name at the top and check the boxes of the activites you want to compete in."  
"Alright." A moment later, Chihiro handed back the form signed 'Chihiro Ogino' with most of the 20 boxes checked.  
"16 of them, Chihiro-sama?!" cried the foreman.  
"Yup! I'm going to try my best today!" With that, Chihiro skipped away, leaving behind the shocked foreman who whispered, 'Good luck...' O.o

A few hours later, the runners positioned themselves at the starting line. Among them were Haku, Chihiro, the radish spirit, and many other spirits and workers. Spectators hooted and cheered in the stands, calling the names of their favorite competitors. Suddenly, a huge 'NANI?! (WHAT?!)' went up in the stands. 'Nani?! Sen is competing?! Where?!' Almost as suddenly, more than half of the crowd started to cheer for solely Chihiro.  
Chihiro looked utterly flabbergasted.  
"What exactly did I do to get such a group of fans?" Chihiro asked Haku shakily.  
"I'll tell you later. Get warmed-up. I'm not going easy on you!"  
"Then I won't go easy on you," Chihiro replied with a somewhat evil smile.  
"ALL RIGHT!" Yubaba roared. "RACERS! ON YOUR MARK, GET SET... GOOOOO!"  
At first, Haku was leading by a lot, then... who should be steadily gaining? Chihiro! Not even breaking a sweat, she sprinted ahead of Haku and past the finish line. She turned around, and the stands exploded in cheers. Haku was a very close second, and a minute later, a bunch of breathless red-faced spirits jogged to the finish.  
Rin suddenly vaporized in front of Chihiro. "'Not much of an athlete', huh?! That was amazing! Are all humans like this?!"  
"Not all humans, I joined my school's track and field team for fun," said Chihiro modestly.  
Rin stared at her for a second then said, "A what? After this you'll have to explain to me what a 'tarck and feeld' is. Go to the next activity!"  
"You're competing in more than one thing?" Haku inquired.  
"Yeah! I'm doing everything! ...except the sumo wrestling."  
"So am I. I'm going to beat you at kungfu!"  
"Just try."

One day later...  
"Did you hear? Chihiro-sama has been promoted to bathhouse executive! She was so hard working yesterday, I'm not surprised!"  
"Bathhouse EXECUTIVE?! That's only one rank lower than co-boss! It took Haku-sama 4 years to get to co-boss!"  
Whispers followed Chihiro and Haku for the next few days, saying how Chihiro had been so amazing and Haku had always been in second place. The only time Chihiro didn't get at least a third place was when the informal noodle-eating contest took place. She had gotten last for that, but for all of the speed, agility, or flexibility related challenges, Chihiro never got less than the occasional second place.  
Chihiro had explained to Rin that track and field was simply running and jumping.  
"That still doesn't explain why you're good at everything else as well," said Rin, unsatisfied. "Does track and field also incorporate the kicking of opponents' heads?"  
"No..." said Chihiro. "My mom thought that my amnesia was from the stress of moving to a new place and signed my up for every single martial arts and sports team she could find so that I would 'be busy' and 'not be lonely'. The first few months were torture since I didn't have any stamina at all, but it paid off. Currently, I'm the best female athlete at my school."  
Haku and Rin stared in new awe and respect.  
"What's a school?" Rin asked, bewildered.  
"It's a place where you learn how do to things like reading, writing, and mathematics, to put it simply."  
"Oh. Okay."  
Haku suddenly seemed to remember something. "Oh, yeah! I almost forgot! We have to get you to Yubaba so that she can update your status report and get you moved in to your new quarters," he said.  
"What?"  
"Never mind, just follow me," Haku said, grabbing hold of Chihiro's hand. "It's time to show you what real speed is."  
Haku then morphed into a dragon with a scared girl on his back.

"Whoa. Hey, what are you doing?! You can't be seriou- ahhhhh!" Chihiro screamed as Haku rushed out of the window and hurtled up the side of the bathhouse, into another window, down a hall, and into Yubaba's office. Haku transformed back to human form in midair, holding Chihiro's hand, looking quite pleased with himself. "Wipe that grin off your face, you stupid spirit," growled Chihiro, though she was smiling.  
"Well, well! Look who's here! I just KNEW you were a valuble worker!" Yubaba cackled as she blew a smoke ring. "Let's get you settled, dear. Your room's in between mine and Haku's."  
Yubaba led the way down a different hallway, and round a corner. Then, they stopped in front of the first of four doors. Yubaba pointed to the first one. "This is my room. Each room has a bathroom and a strong summoning charm, meaning you can summon anything from anywhere as long as it is not too big. Like books and pens." She pointed to the second room. "This is yours, Chihiro. I decorated it the way I thought you might like. Go on, open the door."  
Chihiro went up to the sliding door, expecting a flood of hot pink and purples, when she set her eyes on her room. It was HER room. It was exactly like the one at her house. Complete with the laptop, coloring pads, bean bag chair, everything. Chihiro stared for a moment then turned to Yubaba, her eyes welling up with tears.  
"Thank you so much," said Chihiro with a watery smile.  
"Don't thank me, thank the boy! He read your memories in your sleep and came up with this idea," Yubaba said with a kind smile. Chihiro walked up to red-faced Haku and hugged him.  
"Thank you, both of you," sniffled Chihiro, turning around to look at her room again. "This place really feels like home now."  
"We just wanted to do something nice for you, since you really helped all of us last time," Haku said.  
Chihiro opened her mouth as if wanting to ask what exactly she had done last time, when flash of light filled the hallway and she staggered forward.  
Haku caught and steadied her. Chihiro put her hand to head and her eyes widened.  
"Sakura-chan said they would come back slowly..." murmured Chihiro.  
"What?! What is they? You know Sakura?!" Haku exclaimed, torn between being worried about Chihiro and curious about Sakura.  
"My memories... in the border between this world and the land of the dead, Sakura-chan told me my memories would come back gruadually. But she was wrong..."  
"How? What happened?!"  
Chihiro's brown eyes looked into Haku's green ones. Her eyes were calm, but a bit confused. Then she said, "I remember everything. Everything."

Hyou leaned back from staring into the crystal ball. She sighed heavily and turned to her twin, grumbling, "Yuuko, you really should make your curses less potent. That memory charm was terribly hard to fully break."  
"Yes, but if I hadn't, then she might have broken it herself. She almost did! But I'm beginning to wonder of she had had guidance..." murmured Yuuko thoughtfully. "Anyway, Phase One of the plan is done," she continued."Let's start moving the chess pieces for Phase Two, shall we?"

End Chapter 8

Author's Note:  
You had better be happy readers! It's exactly 11:39 p.m. and I'm writing this just for you! How did you like my little poem at the beginning? I'll try to make one for the beginning of each chapter, but it I don't it just means my creative juices have run a bit low. As usual, please feel free to comment about anything! Sayonara, folks!


	10. Chapter 9: Present

I'm back!: Chapter 9

Author's Note:  
Now starts phase two! The cursed twins are picking up the pace! What is their motive? Find out in the next chapter of I'm back!: Spirited Away 2!

Present

FUTURE  
Inevitable  
Yet, as long as people wish,  
The future can change

PAST  
Is written in stone  
No one can ever change it  
But we move forward

"Phase two, onee-san?" Hyou asked.  
"Yes. Send out the Hebi-Youkai," Yuuko answered. "Don't hate us for this, little brother," she continued, almost to herself, "We're doing this for you..."

"Are you alright?!" Haku exclaimed.  
"Yeah, I'm fine," Chihiro replied slowly, trying to gather her wits. "Just confused and a bit... fuzzy? It's the kind of feeling you get when you've been hit between the eyes and punched in the stomach at the same time then you stare at the sky. It's a bit painful, a bit sad, and a bit calming all at once. And... you have no idea about what I'm talking of..."  
"No, I understand. I had the same feeling when you broke Yubaba's name charm. I mean no insult, whatsoever, Yubaba."  
"None taken, Haku. I regret stealing your name, but at that time, I was very paranoid and wanted complete control of my workers. I only changed because of you and Chihiro," responded Yubaba.  
"That's right... you're name is Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi, right? It's a very nice name," Chihiro said. The way she looked at Haku was different now, yet not. It was the same fondness, except stronger maybe, but without the doubt and worry caused by the memory loss.  
"Uh... Chihiro is a nice name too," was the only thing Haku could think to say. He blushed, Chihiro had gotten a lot cuter after 7 years.  
"Well! Now that Chihiro's all settled in, it's time for you two to do your duties! Go on! Chop, chop! We have a bathhouse to run!" Yubaba said enthusiastically, pumping her fist into the air. "And no detours, you two!"  
At this, both Haku and Chihiro turned bright red, but before Chihiro could say anything in retort, Haku grabbed her hand and literally flew out of the window of Yubaba's office in dragon form, with a terrified but truly happy girl on his back.

"So! How was it?" Rin asked Chihiro on one of her rounds with Haku. "Is your room nice?"  
"Yeah! Yubaba and Haku were so kind! They copied my old room from the human world exactly, down to the position on my futon! But I'll miss you and the girls..."  
"Hey! No long faces allowed, girl! We'll have a sleepover on our days off, okay? And don't complain! Your room's next to Haku's, isn't it?" Rin asked slyly.  
"Rin! About that..." cried Chihiro, gesturing for Rin to lean in closer. Looking at Haku, who was giving orders to another worker a few paces away. "Um... I kind of like Haku, but don't tell him, okay?"  
"Why ever not?" Rin asked incredulously, "Haku likes you too!"  
"He does?!" Chihiro squeaked. "How do you know?!"  
"Don't you notice how he always turns red when you're mentioned?"  
"He does?"  
"Yeah. Just pay attention!"  
"Chihiro!" Haku called. "Come on! Next section!"  
"Alright!" Chihiro called back, then turned to Rin. "See you later!" She started to jog away.  
"Chihiro!" Rin shouted, then pointed to Haku (who was walking away), mouthed, 'Just watch him', and winked.  
Chihiro gave her a thumbs up, and ran to catch up with Haku.  
"So, what did you talk about with Rin?" Haku asked.  
"Oh. You know, girl stuff," she replied nonchalantly. "So, how does this bathhouse run? I not going to believe that the leadership is based solely on physical ability."  
"No, it's not. Yubaba could demote anyone who gets a good rank but produces bad work," Haku paused. "But in your case, she believes that you'll learn fast and produce quality work in no time. The proof is that she already customized your room. Usually, she waits for a long, long time before trusting to new worker and putting their room next to hers. We were the only exceptions."  
"Yeah, that's encouraging! Does that mean she likes me?"  
"Yup!"  
"Oh, yeah! What are we supppsed to do other than walk around the bathhouse? What kind of orders are we supposed to give?" Chihiro asked curiously, gesturing around her. "Wait a minute, Haku, hold that thought."  
Chihiro walked into one of the bath sections, and towards a new worker who was having trouble opening the door of the hole in to wall that went to Komajii. (You know what I'm talking about right?) She tapped the worker on the shoulder, and smiled saying, "Need help?" Chihiro showed her how to open the door, and even gave suggestions about what herbs should be used for what spirit and which bath tokens represented each herb. The bathhouse worker, who at first had looked terrified, looked happier and calmer now. She thanked Chihiro, with many bows, and waved goodbye. Then, Chihiro jogged back to Haku, who had been carefully observing.  
"Alright! Back to the questions-" was what Chihiro started to say whan Haku cut her off and said,  
"That's what you do."  
"What? What's what?"  
"The answer to your questions," Haku replied, looking impressed. "What you just did was the answer to your questions. Our duties are to serve our customers the best we can, as well as help each other. We have to be able to gladly offer help and be open to suggestion. That's how this bathhouse is run. Actually, I'm not that surprised that you were able to do that, since this bathhouse principle was based on you."  
"Me?"  
"Yeah. Before, Yubaba was so mean and only cared about money. Now she cares about money and people, too. It's all because you came. Yubaba values hardwork and passion, and it's because you came to this place seven years ago. I think you'll be just fine with this job."  
"Thanks. All because of me, huh? I did have a lot of fun here seven years ago... wait a minute. Things have been happening so fast that I haven't been able to properly process my memories. Where's Bo?" (The giant baby.)  
"He's sleeping. He's always sleeping," Haku said, looking a little disgusted.  
"Really? Even thought he's- what? Ten years old if he was three when I last came?" Chihiro looked surprised.  
"Ten? He's three hundred! He's older then I am! I'm even turning a hundred-fifty this year!"  
Chihiro didn't look surprised. Nope. She was dumbfounded. "What?! You're a hundred?! How old ARE you spirits?!"  
"Well, actually, I'm a very young spirit. Yubaba's probably a little older than my parents should have been. My twin sisters Hyou and Yuuko are 200 and my oldest sister should have been about 300."  
"Then how old are your parents?" Chihiro mumbled, her eyes popping. "Wait a minute! How old is Rin?!"  
"Rin is 50. Very young. My parents should have been hitting around a thousand by now if they hadn't died."  
Chihiro suddenly looked sad. "Your parents died?"  
"Yeah. About 100 years ago. My oldest sister Sakura, too. You've had a similar experience."  
"Yeah... How did they..."  
"Let's just say that my family has a lot of enemies and that if those enemies knew that I was still alive, they would come after me with no remorse, whatsoever," Haku siad bluntly, his eyes betraying nothing. Not even pain or sadness. He had left those behind him a long time ago.  
"Oh... I never knew... Is that how you came to the bathhouse?"  
"No. That was only recently. Maybe 3 or 4 years before you came."  
"Then what's that big gap in the middle of the story?"  
"It would take too long to explain now, and I expect Yubaba will get impatient if we don't work," Haku said. Then he smiled. "Why don't you meet me at the bridge early tomorrow morning like last time?"  
"Sure! Don't forget to bring those yummy bun things from last time. Just don't put a spell on it."  
"Ok," Haku started walking off to the next section. "Hurry up, Chihiro!"  
"Coming!" Chihiro skipped behind Haku, then took his hand. "Now you can't go ahead."

Haku turned red.

Author's Note:  
Does everyone like the development so far? I hope so! This is starting to get really fun to write! Well, bye! Keep readin'!


	11. Chapter 10: Time

Author's Note:  
Sigh... I'm tired guys. I'm going to give up writing. It's too hard. I'll just give you this chapter aand be done with the whole darn thing...

Just Kidding! I won't stop 'til this story has played itself out! I myself am being carried away by the mystery! 'Tis the truth. I, the author, don't know what the next chapter will bring! (Until I write the inspirational poems that you will see under here. ↓)

Time

TOGETHER  
I will stop running  
From you and from destiny  
So stay by my side

"So! How was you first day of work, Chihiro?" Yubaba asked.

"It was great!" Chihiro answered enthusiastically. "I love helping people!"

"I had a feeling this job would suit you," Yubaba laughed. "And so did Haku," she added.

"Many thanks to both of you!" Chihiro said, bowing repeatedly.

"It was nothing," Haku mumbled.

Chihiro shook her head. "No, both of you are always looking out for me. I have to do something for you."

"All you need to do," a foreign voice replied, "Is to keep gracing us with your smile." The person sighed, "Still see-through..."

"Granny!" Chihiro cried, whirling around and hugging a near-transparent Zeniba.

"Hello, dear. It's very nice to see you again, and you're all grown up, too!" Zeniba held Chihiro's shoulders and surveyed Chihiro with a very kind expression. "Goodness! You and Haku have grown like weeds! Both of you have grown into fine young people. Anyway, how has Yubaba been treating you, Chihiro? Do you have enough to eat? Is she working you too much? Did she turn your parents into pigs again?"

Chihiro chuckled. "You're too worried, Granny! Yubaba's fine! She even promoted me and gave me one of the deluxe rooms! Also, Haku has been helping me out since I'm new. Everything's great! And... my parents are dead... They died in a car crash three years ago..."

Zeniba looked shocked and figured that she had stepped on a land mine. "Oh dear... It's a touchy subject, isn't it?"

"No, it's fine. Uhhh... Yubaba, work is done for today, right? Can I take Zeniba and Haku to my room?"

"By all means! I'll send someone to bring tea in later, okay?"

"Thanks!" Chihiro took hold of Zeniba's and Haku's hands. "Let's go!"

Yubaba was left alone, smoking her pipe. The room was quiet, but Yubaba didn't notice the THING slithering up the leg of her armchair... until it was too late.  
¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

"There's something that has been bothering me, guys," Chihiro said shakily, dropping her cheerful demeanor. "Ever since my memories came back, I've had the feeling that someone is watching me. Like when I'm idle, just standing or sitting, I can FEEL a gaze piercing me from all sides. But that's not all; sometimes I can hear something hissing or slithering behind me, but when I turn around to look, nothing is ever there."

"It may be that you have magical instincts," Zeniba replied, "Because I can feel it, too. I'm surprised that you can feel it since it's so slight. Haku, do you sense anything?"

"No, I'm afraid I don't, Zeniba," said Haku, "but I think I know what's causing it." He turned around to face Chihiro and added, "Chihiro, I think it's time you knew my past. All of it. It's too bad that I couldn't tell you the story at the bridge…"

%%%%%%

_**100 years ago, Yume no Shiro- The Palace of Dreams**_

_**The twins and Haku practiced transforming into a dragon with their older sister, Sakura.**_

"Come on, oneesan!" Hyou and Yuuko said in unison, "Teach us how to do dragon form!"

Sakura chuckled. "I have such impatient siblings! Alright, I'll teach you, but I can't guarantee that you'll get it right on the first try. My first try looked more like a frog than a dragon, so don't get disappointed if you look deformed."

Haku looked horrified. "Wha-what if I look like a blob?!"

"If you turn into a blob and can't transform back into your base form, Mother and Father will kill me when they get back, so don't turn into a blob. It's not likely that you'll turn into something other than a type of lizard, so just relax."

"O-okay…"

"Warm-ups, first!" yelled Sakura. "You can't transform with a tight body, so 15 pushups, 2 laps around the yard, 18 cartwheels, 12 jumping jacks, and do a split."

Haku, Yuuko, and Hyou just stared at Sakura, thinking it was a joke.

"What are you waiting for? Get a move-on!"

15 minutes, later 3 breathless kids plopped down on the grass, exhausted. "Can you teach us how to do dragon from, now?" asked Haku, who was the only one who recovered from the warm-ups. Yuuko and Hyou were still to dizzy from doing cartwheels.

"Okay, first-" Sakura was cut off by the sound of a gong. "Oh, Mother and Father are home! They must have defeated those ruffians."

"YAAAY! Mommy and Daddy are home!" cried the twins, leaping up from the grass, where they had been lying, just seconds before, too dizzy to stand. "Let's go! Come on, Haku! Let's hope they got us souvenirs!"

_**Later that day, Haku was pulled aside by his father for a 'man to man' talk.**_

"Haku, do you know what Mommy and I were out doing, today?" Haku was asked.

"Onee-san said that you were defeating ruffians," Haku replied innocently. "Is something wrong?"

"Haku, I almost lost your mother today when we were fighting Kyu, the Yami no O," Haku's father said, he had crouched down so that his face was on level with Haku's. Haku, being the spirit equivalent of a 7 year old, had little knowledge of what his father was talking about, but knew it was something bad.

"Did something happen to Mommy?"

"Luckily, not this time. But that isn't the point. Since you are our first and only son, you have a duty to protect the Goddess of Light as her husband and partner. I know that you can't fully understand this, but it means you have to marry Sakura."

"Marry my onee-san?!"

"Yeah, it's weird, but it's tradition. I married _my_ sister."

"Mommy is your _sister_?!"

"We are getting off topic. The point is, you have to swear to protect Sakura, even if it means your death," Haku's father was deadly serious. "If there is no Goddess of Light to counter the forces of the Yami no O, the worlds will become unbalanced, and there will be chaos. Swear that you will protect Sakura."

_**Haku knew that this was a very serious matter. But he didn't know anything about what was to come next.**_

"Yes, father. I swear that I will protect Sakura-oneesan with my life." And in that moment, Haku seemed to grow older; it looked like he going through a sort of metamorphosis. A dark cloud surrounded Haku, so that not even his outline could be seen. A moment later, the cloud disintegrated, revealing a Haku that appeared to have bypassed the equivalent of 5 human years. He was taller and looked more mature. He fainted on the spot.

"Haku!" His father shouted, rushing to catch his son. "What have you done to him?! Show yourself, Kyu! How did you get in here?!"

Dark laughter filled the room, bouncing off the walls and getting louder every second. "It was your son who brought me here, actually. He wanted to grow so that he would be good enough to protect your precious Sakura. That is black magic, a dark wish, and thus I was summoned here. It's strange how good intentions lead to bad decisions. While I'm here, I might as well curse your twins. Farewell, Hinote. Oh, and by the way, I've sent you some party guests soon. Good luck dealing with them." In a rush of wind, the dark presence dissipated, leaving and eerie silence.

"Party guests…?" Hinote murmured, wondering what Kyu meant. Then, the severity of the situation dawned on him. "Haku, wake up! We have to get ready for an attack."

Haku roused immediately and got up. "What do we do?" Haku asked calmly. "I am ready to fight and die for Sakura-sama."

"Can you fight? You look older, but are you any more mature?"

"I assure you, I can fight. My transformation seems to have matured my mind as well. I am not the same; I am not a helpless, clueless child anymore," Haku said.

**_It was true; Haku was never the_** **same._ But the attack didn't come._**

"So, Haku..." murmured Hyou and Yuuko, both staring at Haku and poking him repeatedly, as if he still wasn't real. "What's with the freaky growth spurt?"

"It was necessary," Haku replied almost robotically.

Sakura just looked at Haku with wide eyes. "You look my age... this is certainly weird."

"Indeed."

"The way you talk to me now is weird."

"Indeed."

"Please stop saying 'indeed', and stop talking so formally."

"Alright."

The once close siblings started to grow more distant from one another. Hyou and Yuuko stopped talking to anyone except from each other, Haku mainly practiced magic and martial arts, and Sakura rarely spoke and would often watch Haku practice.

"You've improved, Haku."

"Thanks."

Sakura shook her head, stood up, and walked to Haku, placing her hand on his (which has on his sword). "But, you have to make sure to hold the katana like this," Sakura whispered, twisting the sword a little. "Or else you won't be able to slice things cleanly."

"Thanks, Sakura." Sakura blushed so slightly that is was barely noticeable.

"No problem, Haku."

_Weeks passed with no sign of attack. Then, seven months later..._

Haku was practicing combining magic and combat in his room on a straw dummy. He took a break and gazed out of the window at the sunset, which was beautiful in a terrible way. The sunset was in the many shades of blood red, hinting about what was to come. Haku cocked his head, as if listening to something. "I hear screaming... Sakura!"

Haku hurled himself out of his window (which, thankfully, was near to the ground), and broke into a run down the countless steps that led to the garden, and met with a terrible sight. His twin sisters were on the ground, in pain, and snake-like runes were curling and intertwining themselves all over their bodies. They were screaming; the runes were burning hot, like a branding iron.

Between him and his sisters were about 2 dozen men, about a dozen around the twins, and another dozen were surrounding something else. The men were dressed in black, like ninjas, but were anything but silent. They were laughing and jeering at the little cringing form that they were kicking and stabbing. The form was Sakura.

"No! Sakura!" Haku roared. The wind started to howl, tearing at everything it could find. Haku's rage was felt by all those around, and some of the thugs ran away. The others drew their weapons at the boy- no, at the _**dragon**_ as it lunged at them, teeth and claws clashing with steel. Terrified at the thought of fighting a dragon, the rest of the men fled, throwing down their weapons.

Haku returned to his human form and raced to where Sakura laid, completely still. "Sakura! Sakura!" Haku cried as he scooped up Sakura and shook her gently.

"Haku… " she mumbled weakly. "Wow, good transformation technique."

"Don't talk. I'll get help."

"Don't bother; it's already too late. Their weapons had poison," Sakura lifted her hand and touched Haku's face. "You should have stayed as my cute younger brother."

"Please, Sakura, I swore to protect you. Don't leave me alone."

"I will always watch over you from up there," she pointed to the sky, and then added, "You really should have stayed as my little brother. If you had, maybe I wouldn't have fallen for you and this would have been less painful for you."

As soon as she said those words, Sakura wrapped her arms around Haku's neck and kissed him, then disintegrated into delicate pink scales.

_**Back to the present.**_

"They looked like sakura petals as they floated away on the wind," Haku said sadly. "After that, I found out that my mother and father had been killed as well. My sisters, Yuuko and Hyou, had been cursed and ran away, so I was alone. I was by nature a river-spirit, so I went to my river and hid there for about a hundred years."

There was a moment of silence at the end of Haku's tale. It was Chihiro who broke the silence. "You must have been so lonely, Haku…"

"Yeah…"

"I understand how you felt."

"How could you possibly understand?!" exclaimed Haku. "I was left alone in a palace running with the blood of my family-"

Chihiro leaned in and kissed Haku, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I understand. I watched my parents being driven mad by magic and killed before my very eyes. I even saw how mangled their bodies were when our car was smashed into a tree. It was enough to have driven me insane, so I sealed my own memories. _**I understand what pain and suffering are.**_"

"Chihiro, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I was all alone, too. But we're not alone now; we have our friends, and we have each other."

They kissed again, not aware of Zeniba looking away and muttering, 'That's love, for you' to the wall. Nor were they aware that they were being watched through a crystal ball…

Author's Note:

*Sigh* They _**finally**_ kissed. I hope you liked Haku's little background story. You'd better like his little background story- it took me TWO HOURS to type this up! Just kidding (not about the two hour part, though)! Make sure to keep reading!

**Ok. I edited it. Please note: 'Haku' is Haku's family's nickname for Haku. How would you like calling your little brother to dinner like: "Hurry up, NIGIHAYAMI KOHAKU NUSHI! Time to eat!"**

**That would be weird. So Haku's family calls Haku 'Haku'. Just wanted to get that straight. :)**


	12. Chapter 11: Mystery

I'm back!: Chapter 11

Author's Note:

Hi, guys! I will try to make an effort to upload a new chapter every week or every other week. I hope you look forward to them as much as I do! (But don't blame me for not uploading. I have finals coming up and need to study.)

Mystery

UNKNOWN

What lies before me?

What lies behind?

Who will support me

In this uphill hike?

"Chihiro-sama! Haku-sama! Something terrible has happened!" gasped a red-faced bathhouse worker as she burst through the door.

Chihiro and Haku stood up, and saying in unison- much to Zeniba's amusement- "What?"

"It's Yubaba! She's in some kind of- Her face- It's awful! Just come!"

Everyone had to jostle through the small door of Chihiro's room to get to Yubaba's office. The sight that befell them was beyond all reckoning. Yubaba, still sitting on her chair, was limp and had an expression of utmost terror etched on her face. Chihiro was the first to move- the others were too shocked to budge- and checked Yubaba's pulse.

"She's alive. It seems like a twisted form of paralysis," Chihiro said, eyebrows furrowed. "What could have done such a thing?"

"The Hebi-Youkai (snake demon). Looks like the cursed twins have made the first move," Haku mumbled, looking perplexed. He turned to the bathhouse worker who was cowering by the door. "Bring Rin here."

"Yes, Haku-sama!" she squeaked, seeming quite eager to leave the room. "I will, sir!"

The room was completely silent when the worker left the room. Chihiro was staring at Haku, who was staring vacantly at the floor, seemingly thinking about something. Zeniba was gawking at her sister, mouth slightly open and eyes wide. No one said anything until Rin entered.

"I hope you summoning me here was worth my whi…" Rin's voice faded away as her eyes landed on Yubaba. "Goodness gracious! What. Is. That?!"

Haku was brought out of his daze and said flatly, "Yubaba is out of order at the moment. Chihiro and I will have to be leaving the bathhouse for some while, so you are being promoted to co-boss temporarily."

Rin open her mouth as if she was about to say something, but was cut off by Haku. "You will probably want an explanation. That will be taken care of in a few minutes, so please hold your questions for a moment. You too, Chihiro."

Chihiro looked puzzled. What were they leaving the bathhouse for?

"You there," Haku ordered the bathhouse servants that had been called earlier. "Bring Yubaba to the intense care room and have the most skilled healers work on her. The paralysis isn't fatal, but I imagine that it must be awful to have your face like that forever."

The workers rushed forward to obey Haku's command, since he was currently the boss of the bathhouse. In their hurry, they accidentally knocked Yubaba's head on the door frame on their way out of the room. Haku sighed. "I hate being Boss. Everyone's terrified of me."

"Then, tell me, why are you dumping the job on me?" asked Rin lazily. "And what's all this about?" Rin spread her arms out broadly, probably referring to the big mess they had gotten into.

"Let's all sit down. This is going to be a long explanation."

%%%%%

"All of you, excepting Chihiro, have probably heard of the Prophecy Seven right? The one regarding the worlds' destructions if not fulfilled correctly?" asked Haku, glancing at everyone. Zeniba, Kaonashi, Kamajii, and Bo all nodded, but Rin and Chihiro were absolutely clueless.

"What's this Prophecy of Seven that everyone goes on about? What does it have to do with Chihiro? What does it have to do with us?" exclaimed Rin, tired of being the only one with no clue of what was going on. "Explain, Haku!"

"I will tell you what I know, which is a fair amount, because I am directly related to the Prophecy. So is Chihiro, I'm afraid, but I am not sure how. One of the prophecies is engraved on the door to The Palace of Dreams, my former home, so I know it well. It goes like this:

_**Peace and prosperity will be found**_

_**Love and tranquility abound**_

_**Until the darkness does meet**_

_**The light from which it flee**_

_**On to the light of which it fears**_

_**The dark will cause shed of many tears**_

_**And death, unbound by time, will be unleashed**_

_**And love, surpassing time, will be lost**_

_**Found, then lost again**_

_**So it will be until the end of time**_

'_**Til all is lost**_

_**Or all is found.**_

I think I have an idea of what it means."

"I think it is very depressing," said Rin. "Are you sure it's about us?"

"I'm positive; since the prophecy appeared on the Palace's main door on the day I was born. I don't think it gets much more coincidental than that," he replied. "I also know you will ask if it was a practical joke. It wasn't. The Seer was chanting on our front doorstep as well. I know _**you**_ know the Seer."

Rin gaped at Haku. "_**The Seer**_ visited _**you**_?!"

"Who's the Seer?" inquired Chihiro, confused.

"The Seer is only the most powerful oracle and fortune-teller in the Four Worlds!" Rin exclaimed. "To have her foretell your future is to know what the rest of your life will be like! But I've never heard of such a vague prophecy coming from her…"

"I take it you're a fan of the Seer's," said Chihiro, impressed with Rin's knowledge. Then, she turned to Haku. "What do you think the prophecy is about? And why does it concern me?"

"I have a guess. I _**know **_it is about Sakura and me, at least the first part is, but I can't be sure about you until I set some things straight. The guess could be far off, but it could be spot on. After the death of all of my family members, excluding my sisters- Yuuko and Hyou, I started dabbling in shady magics that allowed me to monitor my family's spirits in the World of the Dead. I was never advanced enough to summon any of their spirits, but I had a feeling that they were happy and wouldn't want to be summoned. Then, 17 years ago, the spirit of my eldest sister, Sakura, vanished," Haku said, never taking his eyes off of Chihiro. "Chihiro, what is your birthday?"

"Uh… September 9, 1991."

"I thought so," Haku mumbled, then, he stood up and started to pace. "That is the same date I lost track of Sakura. You said that you met Sakura on your trip to the border between the Spirit World and the World of the Dead. The thing is, you don't know if you _**really**_ were in the World of the Dead. I think you were just trapped in your own mind. That, in turn, means that Sakura is not in the World of the Dead." Haku paused, still looking at Chihiro.

"Wait a minute," mumbled Chihiro. "You can't _**possibly**_-"

"You are the reincarnation of Sakura, who, unlike the rest of the other Goddesses of Light, had powers enough to be feared. The limit to how much spiritual energy she could use at one time was 'off the charts'. She would have been the_** most powerful **_Goddess of Light _**ever**_. That led to her being targeted by Kyu, King of Darkness, and her death as well. You," Haku stressed on the word 'you'. "You are a _**very**_ special case. I think you inherited not only Sakura's soul, but her omnipotence and status of Goddess of Light as well. I also think you're not human."

"What… I can't… _**Not human?!**_" Chihiro's words were a jumbled mess as she tried to display her confusion. "But I'm not a spirit! And I'm not your sister! And I am most certainly _**not**_ all-powerful."

"Well, you don't have to _**be**_ someone to be their reincarnation," Haku said, trying in vain to calm Chihiro down. "And this is just a scientific guess, okay? But, if this is true, then about half of the prophecy has been done. There are also six other prophecies, but this is the only one I have had access to, since it was made for me. But, it's time to go back to the task at hand. I have told you about the prophecy and what it has to do with us, but I haven't told you what it has to do with us leaving."

"Yeah, and why do_** I **_have to become boss?" Rin complained. "It's too hard. I don't wanna do it…"

"Rin, stop being like Bo and suck it up," Haku said in a commanding tone. This comment earned a very loud 'Hey!' from Bo, who was silenced by Zeniba giving him a cookie. "This prophecy and the other six concern the destruction or balance of all of the Four Worlds. If even _**one **_of the prophecies isn't fulfilled the right way, the Spirit World will collapse, which will lead to the destruction of the other worlds, too. Chihiro; you and I are going to go on a journey to find the six others who have had the prophecies made to them, or if they're dead, we'll just get the prophecy, and make sure they have been or are being carried out properly."

"I have a creepy feeling that all of the prophecies will end up being about us… like this whole setup is only a large, sticky spider web with a spider that only had eyes for us…"

"But, _**what if**_ all of the other prophecies are about you two?" Rin asked. "Won't it be too much of a burden?"

"I think I can handle it," Chihiro squeaked, and smiled nervously.

Haku took Chihiro's hand.

"I think _**we**_ can handle it," he corrected.

%%%%%

"So that's how it is," hissed Hyou, crossing her arms and staring at the dark, shadowy ceiling. "That kid is Sakura. That makes things more complicated, doesn't it, Yuuko?"

"Not at all," replied Yuuko, who was standing behind her sister, holding a glass of blood-red wine, and sipping from it leisurely. "Proceed with the plan. Nothing has changed; in fact, things might get easier for us, now that we know where Sakura's soul has been hiding. It is only a matter of time, now…"

A cold laugh erupted from one of the shadowy corners of the room. "I take it you have a task for me now?" said a very familiar voice. "Shall I go to _**that**_ village?"

"Yes," responded Yuuko, setting her glass next to the crystal ball on the table. "Try not to spill too much blood, Kon. We wouldn't want to attract attention, would we?"

"Certainly not, Yuuko-oneesama."

Author's Note:

*Yawn* It's exactly 12:57 PM. I hope you like this chapter! Mwuah-hahahaha! Chihiro is Sakura's reincarnation! And who do you think 'Kon' is? Hehehe.


	13. Chapter 12: Journey

Author's Note:

Hey, guys! I am REALLY REALLY sorry for the REALLY slow update! I had finals, and then I went on a two week trip, and then I had jet lag. I know I'm not supposed to make excuses, but hey, what can one do? Anyway, here is the long-awaited chapter!

Chapter 12

Journey

INEVITABLE  
Everything that  
Has happened  
To this moment has been  
Preordained.  
The paths are neither blocked nor free,  
They just go on  
As far as the eye can see

'_Hmm…' _Kon mused, looking around at his handiwork. '_Nice, very nice. But not enough yet…'_

He glanced at a worn shack and took a long, deep breath. "I can smell your fear. I love it!" Kon cackled as he strode toward the little hut. "You thought you could hide in the shadows, huh? Well, today's not your lucky day."

"Tha-That's our village's holy sword!" cried the boy, eyeing the katana in Kon's hand. "P-Put it back or you'll be cursed!"

"What makes you think I don't want to be cursed?"

The little boy shrank away from Kon, as if trying to dissolve into the corner of the shack. He was shivering violently and his eyes were as big as saucers.

"Do you know what I love more than the smell of fear?" Kon asked as he drew the blade, smiling like a madman, "The smell of blood."

A cry escaped the poor boy's lips as Kon drove the katana into his heart. Kon wiped the blood off of the blade on the boy's shirt until it shone with an evil gleam. "The thousandth victim. This should be enough…" murmured Kon, as he sheathed the blade. "My business in this village is done. I should bid goodbye to the innkeeper," Kon paused, then laughed insanely. "That's right! I already killed him! I've killed everyone!"

"Kon! Kon!" shouted a voice from inside Kon's pocket. "Kon! Answer already!" Kon inserted a hand into his pocket, his laughing cut short, and drew out a single black pearl.

"Yes, oneesama? I have successfully created a demon sword."

"Good. Did you kill everyone? Did you destroy buildings?"

Kon blushed and mumbled, "… yes."

"I _**told**_ you not to get carried away! How many times to I have to tell you to not draw attention to yourself? I bet you also did your little speech about smelling fear and blood. People can't smell fear, Kon! And blood doesn't start smelling for hours. How many times do I have to tell you not to say unnecessary things? You probably laughed insanely afterwards, am I right?"

Kon turned an even darker shade of maroon and mumbled 'yes' again.

"You're so weird, Kon. Why can't you be like a ninja, huh? Why can't you be all stealthy and quiet?"

"It's not your business how I take care of my victims, Hyou-oneesama! Just tell Yuuko-oneesama that the mission is completed and I will be going after the others now."

"Alright, alright. Just don't do unnecessary things, okay? We really worry about you, you know? Remember when you got shot through the leg because your back was turned to some archers while to were standing on top of a building making a speech to some villagers? You had so many broken bones, an arrow through your leg, and you were knocked out because you fell off of the building. Yuuko and I were weeping by your bedside for days!"

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. That was so long ago."

"That was last month, you idiot. I'm still really concerned, but I have some things to do, so I can't lecture you anymore. Buh-bye!"

Kon sighed as he stuffed the pearl back into his pocket. "Stupid older sisters! Always babying me!" Kon pouted, turning even redder. Then he started shouting at the air and throwing a tantrum. "How can I kill people with them staring over my shoulder all the time? They also always making me do all the chores! Cooking, cleaning, killing, spell making, potion brewing, you name it! Always, always, always!"

Kon was red-faced and breathing heavily. After a few minutes, he regained his composure and went from five-year-old mode back to twelve-year-old mode. He sighed. "Well, the mission's over. I may as well go and figure out how to use this sword to kill people now that it has demonic powers…."

%%%%%

"Make sure to take good care of the bathhouse, Rin," Haku called over his shoulder to Rin as he was packing. Rin, who was sitting on Haku's bed and watching him pack, groaned.

"I said I'd take care of it!" Rin exclaimed. "I should be the one lecturing you! If you get Chihiro hurt in any way, I swear that I will never let you live to tell your sorry tale."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'll make sure not to get her into trouble," Haku replied, sounding slightly exasperated.

"I _can_ hear you guys, you know," Chihiro called from the other room, her voice carrying through the wall. "I can take care of myself and Lord Waterhead, thank you very much!"

"I know you can take care of yourself in _normal_ circumstances, Chihiro," Rin said. "But you're a mortal in the Spirit World. It would be unwise for you to waltz out of here with no protection. Since you're a mortal, you can be killed by normal means and magical means, whereas spirits can only be killed by magic."

"I know that!" Chihiro sighed exasperatedly. "But the thing is, Haku isn't the best at not being killed by magic."

"Hey! I was being controlled by Yubaba at the time!"

Chihiro, who just finished packing, walked into the room and sat on the bed too. "You were being controlled by _**a slug**_. A _**dragon**_ was being controlled by _**a slug**_."

"It was a _**magical**_ slug," Haku pouted, looking very embarrassed.

"Alright, it was magical. Now are you two done packing yet?" Rin bellowed.

"Yeah, I'm done," Chihiro and Haku said in unison.

"Then get a move on! Or those demented twins- no offense Haku- will start killing off everyone who has received a prophecy! If it concerns the balance of the universe, there is no time for bickering!"

"Make sure you take care of the bathhouse Rin," Haku scolded, "If Chihiro and I come back and find this place forclosed, you are _**so**_ dead."

"Shut up, Lord Waterhead," Rin said with a very imperial expression on her face. "Just make sure you two come back. If you don't, and the balance of the universe is upset, we're all dead."

%%%%%

"They are getting ready, Yuuko," Hyou called into the other room.

"What? I can't hear you over the sound of the shower!" Yuuko walked into the room with a towel wrapped around her, hair dripping. "What did you say again?"

"I said dear Haku and the mortal are getting ready to set out and seek the others."

Yuuko stood in silence for a few moments, staring at the crystal ball. "Tell Kon that he has to master the cursed demon sword fast…. And that he has a new mission."

"Roger that, Yuuko," Hyou said, then glanced at the floor. "And get back into the shower, Yuuko, you're making puddles on the nice black tiles."

%%%%%

"We look like refugees, Haku."

"We do."

"People are staring, Haku."

"They are."

"Don't you care, Haku?"

"No."

"Fine. I'm going to study these spellbooks."

"Spellbooks?"

"I got them through the summoning charm in my room. They're from Yume no Shiro."

"Who told you there were spellbooks in Yume no Shiro? I don't think I mentioned it," Haku looked at Chihiro as if she had been naughty.

"No one told me," Chihiro said, looking a little guilty. "I allowed to peruse my own memories, aren't I?"

"Wha-?"

"Ever since you told your life story, memories and feelings that aren't mine have been flowing into me. I think they're Sakura's…. I think I'm starting to believe your reincarnation theory."

Haku just stared at Chihiro for a while, as if scrutinizing over every detail on her face, then said, "You haven't changed."

"Huh?"

"I'm just saying, you are still Chihiro, and Sakura is still Sakura, even if you two share memories and feelings." Haku turned a little red, and Chihiro took his hand.

"Yeah, thanks, Haku."

Chihiro then took a thick tome out of one of her bags.

"This book is fascinating, Haku! It's basic magical theory at first, but it gets more advanced as it goes on. Did everyone study magic at your house? Based on Sakura's memories, I know she did, but did you?"

"No, it was always too hard. I can do dragon stuff like flying and making silver scales impale my enemies, but no spells."

"Uh-huh. Okay," Chihiro took her smallest bag, a purple backpack, and put it on her lap. Then, she put her hands over it and started chanting:

_**Jikan to kūkan no kami, **_(Gods of time and space)

_**Jigen o hirakimasu! **_(Open a dimension!)

I ripping sound filled the train, making the other passengers cover their ears. When it stopped, they shot nasty glances at Haku and Chihiro. Chihiro mumbled "I'm sorry."

Chihiro opened the bag and whooped in excitement. There was a deep, pit in the bag where there had once been a shallow hole and purple cloth. "Yes! The dimension charm worked! Now for the summoning charm-"

Haku grabbed Chihiro's hand to stop her from performing another spell. "Don't you feel tired at all?"

"No. Why?"

"After doing a spell of that level for the first time, most sorcerers would feel exhausted."

"I don't feel exhausted. I feel awesome!" And before Haku could stop her again, she chanted:

_**Kazenokami, **_(Gods of the wind)

_**Koto ga shutoku soyokaze o sakusei! **_(Create a wind that summons!)

"No we can stuff all of our things in this bag! Oh… it will still be as heavy as all of the things in it…."

Chihiro rifled through the book's pages and then, still looking at the book, she plucked one of Haku's hairs off of his head, then held it over the bag and muttered:

_**Chikyū no kami, **_(Gods of the earth)

_**Anata no puru o chūshi!**_ (Cease your pull!)

The hair Chihiro was holding disappeared. Haku still rubbing his head where Chihiro had taken a hair, said, "Are you done yet?"

"Not quite. If we lose this bag, we lose everything. I have to bind this bag to us so that we can't lose it." Chihiro looked nervous as she took one of her own hairs, then pulled it taut over the bag and mumbled very fast:

_**Watashi no chikara de, **_(By my power)

_**Watashi ga musubu!**_ (I bind!)

The hair snapped and released an explosion of wind so strong that it blasted all of the train passengers off their feet (so to speak) except Haku and Chihiro. "All done!" Fatigue showed in her voice as Chihiro held the bag in the air and examined it. "Oh, now I'm tired…."

"You should be! But why didn't you get tired until now?" Haku asked.

"The book never said to do this, but I drew on the gods' power instead of mine, so I didn't get tired until I had to use my power for the binding spell."

Chihiro leaned her head on Haku's shoulder.

"Why did you use my hair for the anti-gravity spell?"

"The earth gods are very powerful and like noble offerings. You're a dragon, so you're noble. I can't exactly lop off one of your fingers for an offering can I? So a hair suffices."

"Oh, so why didn't you use my hair for the binding spell?"

"The spell would have sapped your energy, and since you are inexperienced in magic, you would have passed out. I only became really, really sleepy."

"Then sleep."

"Let's get our things in the bag first," Chihiro started stuffing items in the magical bag.

Once everything was packed, Chihiro lifted the bag and found that it was as light as a feather. "So the anti-gravity spell worked! Okay, SUMMON: PENCIL!"

Tip first; a pencil rocketed out of the bag so fast that it lodged itself in the ceiling of the car. A nervous laugh escaped Chihiro's lips. "Haha… at least we know that the summoning spell was top notch…"

Chihiro then took the bag, opened the window, and chucked it out.

"What are you-"

"Testing the binding spell," Chihiro replied to Haku's unfinished question. "_**KAZE!**_" Just as the bag was going to hit the water outside the train, it was suspended in the air. "Let's just wait for a minute so that it's far away…"

Haku looked uncomfortably out the window at the quickly disappearing speck that was the backpack. Then, just as Haku was thinking that they would never see their belongings ever again, it appeared, hovering over his head, and then landed with a 'smack' on top of him.

Chihiro burst into laughter as Haku yelped indignantly and rubbed his head. "Wasn't that thing supposed to be light?!"

"I forgot to mention that it's only light to the caster of the spell," Chihiro said between laughs. "You should have seen your face!"

Haku turned a deep shade of scarlet and mumbled, "Shut up…"

"Doors opening," blasted the woman on the P.A. system. "Third Stop!"

Chihiro stopped laughing and Haku returned to his normal color. This was their stop.

Their journey had begun; they could move nowhere but forward. Hand in hand, they stepped off the train, into the dark and unknown.

Author's Note: I hope you liked the extra long chapter! And how do you like Kon? We still don't know EXACTLY who he is (well, I know) but we DO know that he's very, very whiney. Anyway, if you spot any mistakes or find any inconsistencies, please comment and tell me. Keep the reviews coming! Suggestions and flames are welcome! I hope you liked the Japanese! Please look forward to the next chapter!


End file.
